


Of Foxes, Gods and the Moon

by ToneofDarkness



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Enstars Shipping Olympics, M/M, Yokai AU, eso round 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 15:17:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20010448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToneofDarkness/pseuds/ToneofDarkness
Summary: ESO Round 2A fox spirit falls in love with a lonely god who is bound to his temple deep down in a forest and wishes to see the world even though he can't leave to fullfill their own wish, so the fox spirit tries his best to make the god's dream come true.I tried to stick to the prompt as closely as possible, but these two are just so *gestures vaguely*There are CGs attached to the later chapters, a collab work with my teammates, so be on the lookout for them!





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet. Rei should know that sneaking in like that in the middle of the night is illegal.
> 
> He's lucky Madara's nice enough.

Madara could feel eyes on him, making his own flutter open, disturbed from his sleep. At first, he couldn't tell if this was a dream or not, but what he knew for certain was, there's a fox staring at him as he was sleeping. A fox with eyes as red as blood, and the blackest fur he’d ever seen, if any at all.

"Oiii, how long are ya plannin' on starin’ at me?" the red-eyed black fox in question smirked, clearly amused by something only he could see on the god. "Damn sleepy head~"

"Excuse meee??"

The audacity of this situation, a fox had broken into the most sacred chamber of the shrine in the dead of night; what is this?

* * *

"What's that look for? Fuhahaha! You look stu~piiid! Ain'cha the land god? C'mon, y'gotta look the part at least!" The fox, with his tail as dark as night swishing idly from behind him, was staring from his seat by the bed towards the far side of the chamber, where Madara had retreated to. "You look like I'm about to eat’cha."

The nerve of this situation, really.

Madara, offended that he's being insulted in his own shrine by a trespasser, made a huffy snort as he straightened himself up to salvage what little ounce of dignity he had left from scampering away from the fox mere moments ago. "Ahahaha, is Mama right in guessing that you're an outsiiider? Normally, I'd have struck down ill-mannered guys like you, but..."

"'But'...?" The fox's questioning grin was smug, so very smug. He was clearly enjoying something only he knows, and Madara was finding it to be irritating. "'But' what?"

"Deja vu." The god shrugged his shoulders. "Yooouuu do seem familiar to Mama, somehow!"

At that, the fox started, doubled over, laughing. Mirthful notes, loud and clear, rang within the chamber.

"Eh? Eh?? What's so funny? Did Mama say something fuuunnyyy??"

"Take a wild guess, why don'tcha?" the fox sang, enjoying his little game, and now lounging on Madara's bed, as if he owned the place. "Like, did a~nything happen to you this morning? Find anything unusual~?"

He's being treated like an idiot, in his own shrine nonetheless; Madara didn't like the treatment one bit, but the only thing stopping him from raining down judgment upon the heathen was the clues he was dropping. "How would you know about thaaat---Unless…??" He suddenly made a dramatic gasp, hands to his chest, as if covering himself for modesty. "You were spying on Mama! You naughty foxy, you!"

“ _'_ _Spying’?_ ” The fox seemed to give it some thought, before snickering. He’s enjoying this too much. “You could say that, I guess~”

Madara was aghast; the heathen didn’t even try to deny it. “ _Wow._ ”

“Fuhahaha! That ain’t thaaat hard t’do when yer in the same room as cute li’l ol’ me!” The fox was on his stomach now, playfully swinging both his legs and his tail up in the air. “We’re gettin’ sidetracked here; answer the question!”

“How ruuude! You’re in _my_ house, you knooow??”

“ _Answer! Answer! Answer~!_ ” came the chanting, paired with some childishly impatient waving of the fox’s hands. “ _Answer the question! Answer the question~!_ ”

Madara couldn’t believe his protests have just been cut off, and he was being made to play the fox’s game. He’d every right to refuse, but he'd never had the company of another like this in ages.

So, maybe...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally introduce each other formally. Somewhat.
> 
> Please pardon Rei's potty mouth.

“Ya guessed in just two tries, huh?” the fox mused, pursing his lips, and looking quite amused. “Guess yer smarter than I thought...But, yep! That figurine’s cute li’l ol’ me~ _Buh-buh buh-buh-buuuuh~!_ Congrats! You get a prize!”

Considering that the figurine in question was the only one fox-related out of this morning’s offerings, Madara didn’t have to make too many guesses, but did the fox really have to say it like _that_? “You’re being ruuude---HEY! Don’t pat Mama’s head just like thaaat!”

“Why not~?” the fox laughed as he ruffled Madara’s hair until the top was a mess. “Right guesses ought to be rewarded, riiight~? Don’t you gods do that?” He only backed off from Madara when the god actually swatted his hand away. “Ohhh…?”

“That’s enough fun and games, don’t you thiiink?” For the first time since he’d been woken up, Madara was finally asserting his position as the land god to the fox; the fox could feel the steady rise of an imposing presence coming from the god. However, instead of becoming scared or humbling himself in front of Madara, the fox looked rather _pleased_ at it. “Eeehh---What are you grinning like _that_ fooor??”

“Ufufufu...Now _that’s_ more like it~ Alrighty then,” the fox simply said, and then out of the blue, started introducing himself with a nonchalant wave of his hand, “You can just call me ‘Rei’, oh great Mr. Land God~” Continuing his smug introduction with a gallant bow, much to Madara's disbelief, he went on to say, "I'm here to grant’cha your deepest, darkest desire, so to speak."

"My…My deepest---Whaaat??"

"Din'tcha hear me? I said, I'll grant'cha yer deepest, darkest desire...Y'know, stuff ya rea~lly want, but dun want others t'know?" Rei slyly side-eyed Madara, smirking as he said that. "You have those too, ri~ght~?"

With a disgruntled grunt, Madara looked away to the side, avoiding that teasing gaze coming from the sly fox, but Rei had already seen it in his eyes; there _was_ something that the god wanted.

“C’mon; you can tell me~!” came Rei’s attempts at convincing the god to speak up, now hovering around Madara’s shoulder like a pesky bug. “Whatever it is, I won’t judge ya!”

What a persistent fox this one is. Madara kept avoiding Rei, the god and the fox soon ending up twirling around in place in their little chase. “No, no! Mama doesn’t have such a thiiing!”

“Wha~t? What are ya bein’ shy for??” Rei refused to give up, making more of an effort to catch Madara’s gaze. “There’s sumthin’ ya want badly, and I can see it!”

“You’re just seeing thiiings!!”

“Bullshit!”

A horrified gasp. “LANGUAGE!”

But, at least Rei got Madara to look at him.

It’s well-worth that incoming slap to the cheek.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei starts to smell a load of bull.
> 
> Madara remains 'Mama'. Nothing new.

“Sorry, sorry! So sorry!” Madara had his hands clasped over his head as he bowed to Rei in apology. “Mama didn’t mean to slap you so hard!”

Rei huffed as he gingerly touched the sore, pink-tinged spot on his cheek with his fingertips. But, instead of feeling angry, for some reason only he knew, he looked relieved. “Nah, dun sweat it, Mr. Land God; that didn’t even hurt me~ No worries!”

“Wow. Isn’t that boasting a liiittle bit??”

“Eh, boastin’ never hurt anyone, ‘cept maybe the proud ones.” Rei then waved his hand around, one-sidedly dismissing their current topic. “That aside! Got yer wish ready yet~?”

“Nope~” Madara’s reply was much too quick, it got a frown out of the fox’s usually cheerful face. “I don’t need tooo!”

“Now, look’ere, mac---”

“Call me ‘Mama’!”

“Why the Hell w---”

“Language…!”

An eye roll; gods and their ‘house rules’. “Why...would I call you that??”

“Because Mama is ‘Mama’, that’s why~”

A long pause of silence rang as Rei stared at Madara, his expression that of confusion. “O-kaaay? I dun get it…”

A playful-sounding laugh rang from Madara as he gestured at the baffled Rei to sit down, doing so himself. Once Rei had taken a seat on the mat-covered floor did the god start to explain. "You see, I call myself 'Mama' because this land, this land is my household. This land is Mama's household~"

“I see…?” In reality, Rei couldn’t see what Madara was getting at.

“That’s right! Ahahaha~” With a laugh, Madara resumed with his explanation, “The people living on this land are all Mama’s children, sooo...Mama is 'Mama'!”

“O~kay...If ya say so…??” But, even then, Rei couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. “So, if I call you ‘Mama’, yer gonna tell me your wish then?”

The smile faded from Madara’s lips for a brief second, before he jokingly snorted. “Aawww, I was sure you’d forget about iiit~!”

“What?? Why would I??”

“Because Mama doesn’t have a wish!”

“...What?”

That has got to be a lie. Rei was certain of it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara says he's a happy god.
> 
> Rei calls it 'BS'.

“You don’t have a wish?” Unless Rei was mistaking what he’d seen in Madara’s eyes earlier to be ‘desire’, but he knew what it looked like; he’d seen it far too many times before. Convinced that he was right, the fox shook his head in disagreement. “I dun believe you.”

“Expect the unexpected!” the god chuckled; now it’s his turn to grin smugly, thinking he was getting the upper-hand in the discussion. “Not everyone has wishes, you knooow~”

“Yeah, but those be either really content with their lives, which is bullshit---”

“Laaanguage!!”

“---Yeah, yeah.”  _ Of all the things to be concerned about. _ “Anyway, not havin’ any wishes is like either a lie or the person’s dead!”

“But Mama’s not lying?? And I’m not dead!”

“Exactly my point? So,” Rei pointed a finger at Madara, his red eyes narrowing, “you have a wish, and I’m gonna hear it!”

“Sorry, Rei-san---” Madara had to pause, eyebrows raised, when he noticed that Rei looked at him with a wide-eyed expression upon mention his name...It looked somewhat like a  _ giddy smile _ , but resumed when the fox didn’t say anything, “You’re not going to hear anything from meee~”

“And how exactly did ya come to not have any wishes?”

“Ahahaha! It’s just like you said; Mama’s content and happy~” Madara’s grin was wide, too wide for Rei. “So long as Mama’s children are happy, then I’m happy too~!”

“That don’t sound very convincing, ya know…?” Rei leaned closer to Madara, scrutinizing that smiling face. It might look pleasant, but the fox could sense that it’s only skin-deep. Now, he’s even more determined to get to the bottom of the god’s mystery. “Yer happy just cuz others are happy?”

“Weren’t you paying attention to Mama’s story?” Madara made clicking sounds with his tongue against his teeth, but he’s willing to repeat what he’d said for Rei’s benefit. “This land is Mama’s household; I keep things in order here. I’m doing a good job, so that’s reason enough for Mama to be happy and content~”

“Hhoooh…” Rei mused, knowing an inkling as to what a land god’s duty is, yet he feigned ignorance so he could catch Madara off-guard. “S’that all ya do?”

“Mama keeps the baaad things away.” the god replied, nodding sagely to himself. “The land then prospers; it’s as simple as that~!”

As he listened, Rei felt as though an opening through Madara’s defenses was somewhere nearby, so he pressed on, picking his words carefully. Putting on an air of interest, the fox leaned closer still, and said, “Eehhh, that sounds like a very easy job~ Very cushy! I bet ya have lo~ts of free time in between...Ya have any hobbies?”

“Nope! Mama just stays in this shrine, looking important~”

“Oh, that sounds boring!” Rei whined, disappointment in his voice, and in his drooping ears and tail. “Don’tcha go out? See the sights? It’s really pretty out, y’know~?”

“Ah hahaha…I knooow~” The laugh Madara made lacked its usual volume, giving Rei the idea that his claim was actually false.

"If ya know the place, then you can show me around!" Rei clasped his hands together to plead, and cutely. "Pretty plea~se~?"

"Ah, I...see…" Madara, however, seemed to stiffen at Rei's request, his expression strained, and it didn't go unnoticed by the observant fox.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madara is called out on his BS.
> 
> Rei called it.
> 
> Madara remains stubborn.

"Oiii, yer starin' off into space!" Rei was waving his hand in front of Madara's face to get his attention. "Hello??" Madara snapped out of it after a few moments, looking conflicted.

"Rei-san…?"

"Good; yer back with me in this land again." Even with his rudeness, one could tell that the fox had become a little worried for the god. "What's up?"

It took a lot for Madara to regain his composure, making a self-conscious cough to mask it. "N-Nothing's up! Mama's just reminded of something~"

"Then you can show me around now?"

"NO! Ah, I mean, no, not nooow, ahahaha...!"

"Why not now??"

"Because…" Madara's voice trailed as he tried to think of an excuse. "Because Mama's busy!"

"It's an ungodly hour into the night, y'know…"

"Yes, Mama knooows!"

"No one's gonna expect ya to be workin' at this time though??"

"It doesn't matter!"

"Are ya sayin' that ya dun wanna go out with me then??"

"Mama didn't say anything like thaaat!!"

"Then why won'tcha show me around??"

"Because Mama can't leave!!"

"What?"

"Mama can't leave the shrine!!"

"You can't leave the shrine…?"

"Yes!!" Madara then paused, his eyes blinking when he realized something. "Wait, did I say that…?"

"Yes, ya did!!"

"Aww, shucks…" Madara rubbed at the back of his head, looking cross at himself for a brief moment before he sighed in defeat. "All right; you caught meee~" Then, there came a pause; despite Madara's goofy smile, there was an underlying bitterness to it, and Rei could sense it.

"Sumthin' wrong?"

It’s bad enough that he was caught, but to openly talk about it? Madara blew a rather heavy sigh, his lips pressing into a thin line; it’d seem as though he didn’t like what he had to say next, but it needed to be said. "Mama...can't leave the house. Mama's not allowed to leave the shrine." He then laughed dryly, brushing the bitterness off like usual. "But, that's fiiine! If the people of Mama's household are happy, then Mama is tooo~!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei keeps whittling through Madara's tough shell.
> 
> But, a second secret comes to light.

The audacity.

Rei couldn't believe what he was hearing straight out of Madara's mouth. The god says that he's happy, for the sake of his people, but the fox could easily tell that there's something far more than that flimsy claim. That fake smile he had to look at was beyond annoying. If he was being playful earlier, now he's serious.

"Don't kid yourself! That's a big, fat lie, and you f---in' know it!” Rei ignored the offended look Madara threw at him; the fox was too incensed with the god’s words to care about crude languages now. “What is it that ya really,  _ really _ want?! Are ya just gonna keep on lyin' t'yerself, huh?!"

“I’m not...I’m not lying! Why would Mama liiieee??” Madara simply couldn’t understand why the fox would be so insistent about granting his ‘wish’. “Besides,” the god’s voice then lowered to a barely audible whisper, his eyes to the floor, “even if I do have one, can you really grant it?”

Rei’s ears twitched above his head, both locking onto those hushed, whispered words, and his eyes narrowed as he heard them, becoming displeased. “You.” With a hiss, the fox reached over to grasp Madara by his shoulders. “Don’tcha dare underestimate me, Mr. Land God!”

“Why are you so persistent??” And yet, Madara wasn’t taking measures to free himself from Rei’s clutches. “Nobody will like you if you’re like thaaat!!”

“So? If I can get people what they want, then I’ll be as stubborn---Nah, scratch that; I’ll be even more stubborn than the most stubborn stain on linen!”

“Why meee then?!” Surely there were people far more deserving of having their wishes granted than him, Madara believed. He’s a god; there’s nothing in this world that he should want…

* * *

Madara was met with silence from Rei’s end, yet he waited for the fox’s reply, confused as he was from the sudden lack of a verbal response. However, the look Madara received from Rei was even more confusing; he could’ve sworn he’d seen longing in that expression.

Longing?

Why would that be?

The shade of red on Rei’s face now became evident, although whether it was from anger or embarrassment was yet to be seen. Drawing air through his gritted teeth, the fox retorted, his voice strangely hushed, “Because I want to see your damn smile again!  _ That’s why!! _ ”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei and Madara demonstrate just how childish both can be.
> 
> What are you guys, 5??

Madara was stunned; did he hear Rei’s response right? “What...What did you say?”

Did he really say that out loud just now? Rei wasn’t intending on letting his reasons to be known, but it went beyond his control. Even if he wanted to take it back, it’s why he was in the shrine in the first place. “I’ve already said it once! I ain’t repeating it!”

“Eehhh?? That’s not fair?? You heard Mama’s secret!” Not that it was that big of a secret within his territory; Madara thought Rei couldn’t have known that, so it should count as one.

“I---” Rei raised a finger to make a point, his mouth hanging open as he couldn’t come up with a quick, witty retort. Instead, he closed his mouth, making a grouchy frown, and lowered his hand, only to cross his arms over his chest. “It’s not important!” he snubbed, all huffy.

Now, with his curiosity piqued, it’s Madara’s turn to hover around Rei’s shoulders. “Ohhh? Mama feels that it  **is** important, Rei-saaan~!”

“No, it’s not! ‘Sides, ya still have to tell me your wish!” The cat-like grin Rei saw slowly creeping into Madara’s lips made him feel a little anxious. That couldn’t possibly mean anything good.

“Equivalent exchange!” Now, Madara was the one holding Rei’s shoulders from behind the fox. “Let’s make a compromise; you repeat what you’ve said to Mama, and Mama will tell you his wish! How’s that~?”

Rei couldn’t believe that Madara had come up with a way to worm his secret out of him; worse, the other end of the bargain was much too tempting to turn down, it’s unfair. Not to mention that it could also be a trick. “You’d tell me your wish, after you keep tellin’ me that ya dun have any??”

“Weeell, it appears that Mama does have something like thaaat!” Madara chuckled sheepishly, in a manner that made Rei want to pinch, pull and then squish both of his cheeks. How could he have become attracted to a big oaf like him? “Isn’t it greaaat~?”

“Gee, how convenient.” Rei snorted, his cheeks tinted with the red color of displeasure, but he was considering the offer. “Ya swear that you’ll tell me your real wish?”

“Mama swears to tell the truth and nothing but the truth; to lie is disgraceful for a land god, you knoow~?” Then, through his jolly smile, a piercingly serious gaze locked with Rei’s eyes. “Do you swear that you’ll repeat what you’ve said tooo~?”

That piercing gaze had come out of nowhere, it took Rei by surprise. “O-Of course!” he stammered, straightening himself to swat at the empty space between them, dispelling the slightly threatening feeling he’d had. “What did you take me for?!”

“Then we have a deal~!”

“Yeah. Now, you go first!” Rei was quick to demand.

“Eehhh?? No, you go first, Rei-san!”

“No, you; I insist!”

“Well, cute foxes get first rights! Mama decrees it!”

“Wha~t! I reject that decree, and demand that you go first!”

“You can’t reject a land god’s orders??”

“Oh yes I can, and I just did!”

“Rei-saaan??”

“Just so you’d know, mine’s more emotionally draining, so I need to prep up, so you go first!”

Feeling that they’re getting absolutely nowhere even if it’d take them all night, and since he really wanted to hear what Rei had said, Madara had decided to concede. “Fiiine; Mama’s going first then~”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progress.
> 
> Finally, PROGRESS.

Even as he’d said that he’d go first, Madara felt hesitant to tell Rei his wish. It’s not that he’d go back on his word, but rather, he was skeptical if a fox could have the capability to grant it. Rei did seem confident that he’d be able to, but Madara still had reservations about it. Furthermore, Madara felt that his wish was too embarrassing for someone like him, a land god, to have. He’d apparently been taking too long in telling Rei his wish because the fox had been staring expectantly at him for a good solid minute.

With a sigh of defeat, Madara cleared his throat, and slapped himself awake with both hands. “So, Mama’s wish---”

“Yeah, yeah; I’ve been waitin’ fer it since forever!”

“Hold on! Be patient! Mama’s going to say it, don’t wooorry!” Clearing his throat again, the god began, “Mama’s wish is…Uhh...” Odd; why was his throat suddenly feeling so obstructed? Yet, Madara pushed himself on. “Mama wants...Mama wants to gooutandseetheworld…!” Interestingly (or perhaps frustratingly) so, the god’s voice kept on lowering in volume as he spoke until he was barely mumbling the last, most crucial part of his wish.

Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) for him, Rei had sharp hearing. The moment Madara’s voice wavered, the fox’s ears immediately adjusted themselves, turning towards its direction, and tuning out the background noise to hear the whole of it. “Huh.” Rei mused, eyebrows raised with interest. “Tha~t...kinda makes sense though.”

“Kyaaa...Mama feels so embarrassed!” Madara practically squealed, hiding his face in his hands after confessing about his secret wish. “But that’s my wish, Rei-san…Straight from Mama’s heart!”

“Hmm,” Rei tapped his chin in thought, thinking that, while he’d granted various wishes in the past, granting this particular wish might actually require a bit more effort. Of course, he wasn’t going to say that out loud; he wouldn’t want to have Madara’s wish to be crushed before it could even come to fruition. That’d be the opposite of his original purpose for visiting the shrine.

“So, Rei-san…”

Hearing his name called broke Rei out from his thoughts. “Hhah? Whaddaya want?”

“Oohhh, you're so coool! But, Rei-san! Mama’s told you his wish, so it’s your part of the deal now~”

“Huh, so you did.”

“Weeell??”

“Aahhh…”

“Rei-saaan!”

“Can’tcha wait?? Gimme a moment to prep up, sheesh!” Rei huffed, shooing Madara off of him. “Ya have no idea how embarrassin’ this is...Or, do ya, actually? A~nyway! I said…Uhh...” As Madara had been looking at him so intently, and much too close, Rei felt his cheeks become hot before reaching over to force Madara to look away from him.

“Rei-san?? My...My neck??”

“Just a few secs, or sumthin’! Just...Just dun look at me!” Rei hissed as he held Madara’s head steady, and at arms’ length. After taking a deep breath, Rei mumbled, “I’m...doin’ this cuz I...Uhh, I wannaseeyasmile…”

“Whaaat?? I can’t hear yooouuu~”

“For f---k’s sake!!” Rei couldn’t believe this. He changed his grip on Madara’s head that the god is now face-to-face with him, before pulling him closer until their noses were almost touching. He then hissed his words out, slowly, and stressing each word, “I said, _I want to see you smile again,_ **_that damn smile that’s even brighter than Amaterasu!!_ **”


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rei works his magic.
> 
> The clean kind.

A smile brighter than the sun itself?

Did he have that? Madara didn’t understand, but as he looked at Rei’s furiously flustered expression, he could tell that the fox wasn’t lying one bit. Upon realizing that, Madara’s face also lit up with a red tint. “M-My smile??”

“YES!” Rei shoved Madara away, so he could turn away and be flustered by himself. “Dun make me repeat myself, or I’ll...I’ll bite you! I'll bite you rea~l hard!!”

Madara stumbled back a few steps before he caught himself from completely falling, but he still couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Rei thought his smile was _that_ good? He felt bashfully flattered, but something didn’t add up. “Waaait…”

“Dammit, I said I’ll bite you!!”

“No, no! It’s not that! You got Mama curious about one thing!”

Rei, his cheeks still pink from embarrassment, turned to throw a questioning scowl at Madara. “An’ what would that be?”

Knowing that Rei wouldn’t be attacking him for now, Madara approached him again, taking his chances, but kept a little space between them, as to not agitate the fox further. “You see, that got me wondering; when did you see Mama smile?” Madara certainly couldn’t remember seeing Rei before; he’d know if he did.

“Aa~h.” Now that they seem to be having a normal conversation, Rei started to calm down. “That was...There was a festival in the area, and I was around.” The fox shrugged his shoulders, as if making it seem like it’s not a big deal, when it is. “That’s when.”

“Eeehh?? Mama would’ve seen you…!”

“I was hiding, m‘kay?” Rei scoffed. “But, turns out that yer smile’s enough to draw me outta hiding.” A snort. “Stu~pid…”

“Wow. If Rei-san just wants to see Mama’s smile, then you could’ve asked---”

“ _No f---in’ way!!_ ” Rei’s harsh reply nearly made Madara scooting backwards in case the fox make good of his promise of biting him. “If I asked fer one, it...It wouldn’t be genuine! Sorta...G-Get my drift??”

“Ooohh…” While Madara felt a bit hurt at the implication, even he couldn’t deny that that was true.

“Anyways! Your wish! I’mma get to grantin’ it.”

Upon hearing Rei declare that, the doubt came creeping back into Madara’s mind. “Not to be rude, but...How would you do it, Rei-san?" he asked, his expression pondering. "If a land god can’t do something about his situation, what more a fox?”

“ _Oi._ ” Rei shot Madara a dirty, offended look that made the god shrink away by instinct. “I told ya before; don’tcha dare underestimate me! Just sit there, watch and wait like a good land god!”

“I will! I will!”

“Good!” Rei then started thinking, his mind hastily putting together a plan. If Madara couldn’t step out of his territory to see the rest of the world, then the fox would have to find a hole he could exploit...

And he got just the thing.

“I’ll be right back~” Without waiting for Madara’s response, Rei, with a snap of his fingers, and his single tail unfurling into nine tails, conjured some brilliantly blue flames around himself, and then disappeared along with them.

Madara was now left by himself in the room, staring at the spot where Rei had disappeared from. “Uuhhh...Hurry baaack??”


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cat is out of the bag. Or, rather, the fox is.
> 
> Rei demonstrates his excellent negotiation skills.

No sooner than Madara had said that did the blue flames reignite, forming a large ball at the same spot where Rei was a second ago. However, when the flames went out, not only had Rei returned, but he’d brought along somebody else. And that somebody, one who looked familiar to Madara, was making his protests loudly known.

“What’s the meaning of this, Tsukuyomi-san?!” the newcomer, with golden-blond hair, and the ears and tail of a fox bearing a similar hue, yelled as he tried to pull his arm away from Rei’s tight hold. “I have an important meeting, you know~?!”

“Oh, shush! That date of yours can wait; this be more important!”

Needless to say, Madara was very confused. Why would Inari-no-Ookami be here in this humble shrine, and why did he call Rei ‘Tsukuyomi’? “Uummm...Excuse meee??”

\--- After some explaining from Rei ---

“Let me get this straight, Tsukuyomi-san,” Inari-no-Ookami tried to summarize the hastily-made mess of an explanation Rei had just made, “you want  _ me _ to look after this shrine while you take that guy out for sightseeing...?” Sighing when Rei nodded in confirmation, the fox god groaned, “Isn’t this asking me for too much? I mean, look at what you’ve done to one of  _ my _ servants??”

Rei examined himself, his ears twitching and his nine tails swishing behind him, and then shrugged. “So the little fox got to absorb some of my energy while I’m possessing it! Dun worry; it’ll wear off!”

“Waaait; so Rei-san is not a real fox?” Madara was getting more and more confused by the second.

“No, he’s not!” Inari-no-Ookami grumbled, shooting Rei a dirty, accusatory look. “You see, this troublesome guy, Tsukuyomi-san, left his body at home, and then told me to lend him one of my servants so he could walk around the mortal world under Amaterasu-kun’s nose. He’s such a pain, you know~?”

“Oi, I’m right here.” Rei huffed, dismissing the topic with a wave of his hand. “So, are we doin’ this or not? It’s just for o~ne day!”

“There you go dumping trouble onto others again!” Inari-no-Ookami huffed back. “Just coming and going as you please...I haven’t agreed to anything yet!”

“Just think of this as a favor! C’mon; are ya just goin’ to let this poor guy be stuck in this li’l shrine all by himself~?”

Was this how Rei was going to grant his wish? Madara was expecting a much different method, one that didn’t involve asking someone else for a favor. “Ahahaha...Mama’s fine if Inari-no-Ookami-sama doesn’t agree. Mama’s used to staying in this shrine by himself~”

“See? Can ya really resist those sad puppy dog eyes~?”

“Tsukuyomi-san, that’s not for you to decide, ‘kay!” However, looking at Madara and his plight was stirring something inside the fox god’s head.

“I’ll make it worth your while~?” Rei offered. “Ya like those li’l stuffed things the humans offer to ya, ri~ght~? I’ll give ya a box of ‘em!”

A long pause rang within the chamber; Madara could’ve sworn the air had grown a bit thick around them, yet he sat where he was, letting the elder gods have their negotiation, if it could be called that.

A few minutes passed before Inari-no-Ookami sighed, and finally said, “Two, and you still owe me for ruining my servant’s fur, okay? Now, take that before I change my mind!”


	11. Chapter 11

“That sounds good~” Rei didn’t even pause to think about the option before accepting it, which made both Inari-no-Ookami and Madara stare at him in disbelief. “I’ll take it~! No biggie!”

“I wish you’d take this more seriously, Tsukuyomi-san??” No matter how long he’d known the moon god, the god of the night, Inari-no-Ookami still couldn’t understand him. “I can’t even make you do stupid things out of spite like this!”

“Exactly~! Welp,” Rei was already on his feet, and tugging Mama along by the arm, “we’ll be goin’ now! See ya tomorrow~”

“Eeehh?? We're leaving??” Poor Madara could only let himself be pulled along. “Ah hahaha...Mama’s really thankful for thiiis! I really aaam!”

And thus, Inari-no-Ookami was left all by himself in the room. “Yeah, yeah; I’m...just going to sit here, and look important, I guess~” He then heaved a long sigh, his shoulders and nine tails sagging as he now needed to make adjustments to his day’s schedule. “That Tsukuyomi-san…”

\--- Outside the shrine ---

“That takes care of it, but remember,” Rei held up his index finger, “we got one day.”

“Mama’s still confused, but it’s Rei---Ahh, that’s wrong; it’s Tsukuyomi-sama’s plan!”

Rei shook his head sharply, dismissing the title. “Don’t call me that; just keep callin’ me ‘Rei’ like ya do.”

Madara was surprisingly quick to obey, nodding quite eagerly. “If Rei-san says so~”

“Good land god~ Now then,” Rei held out his hand to Madara, “shall we go~?”

Madara looked at the offered hand, which held a promise that he’d get to see the world outside his shrine for one whole day. Never did he dream of having a chance like so, even if the method of achieving it was far from what he’d expected.

Was this allowed? Were the elder gods allowed to intervene? Madara could only hope that he wasn’t invoking the wrath of a much higher power with his little, selfish wish.

Taking Rei’s hand, and with a big, enthusiastic smile, Madara said, “Yes, let’s gooo~”

\--- FIN ---

**Author's Note:**

> ESO Round 2  
> Prompt #38 - Yokai MadaRei AU
> 
> I've attempted to write this as if it was a gacha story, so if there are to be cards, they'd be:  
> 5☆ - Mikejima Madara  
> 4☆ - Sakuma Rei / Tsukuyomi  
> 3☆ - Hakaze Kaoru / Inari-no-Ookami  
> 3☆ - Hibiki Wataru (only because he's mentioned; what a guy) / Amaterasu
> 
> Yes, I snuck in those references.


End file.
